Returning from The North

In what had been a rather exciting, if short, first real mission, Jouijie was still unsure of his success. He had captured the bandit leader, ensuring the chain of command was cut in half and that the remaining bandits were bloodied up too much to run or continue for a while. He hadn't killed anyone, but he had done just enough to convince them they needed new career options.

So why was his heart heavy as she stepped back into the Mizukage's Building? It was just shy of two days since he'd set out, he thought he'd done his mission well. In addition to the payment for the mission originally, the Village Elder of the town he'd helped had given him a bonus tribute to Kirigakure. In his mind, he'd succeeded. So when he stepped to the front desk and asked "Please may I see Mizukage-sama?", why did he have to control his voice?

The woman's scream as she was pushed off the cart was still in the back of his mind. Should he have abandoned the mission, potentially, to make sure she was safe? It wasn't like the Land of Water was completely lawless, someone would find and save her eventually...Right?

Stepping into the waiting room in front of the office, Jouijie looked behind him to the escort as the man opened the door to the office and ushered Jouijie inside.

Naizu was outside the office at the time the boy walked in, about 50 ft down the hall to the right and observed him as he was about to go in. The gap closed instantly however as he appeared right behind the gennin and snatched him out the office. "We're going on a little walk my seemingly down, mission accomplishing gennin" he said as he flipped his arm around Jouijie's shoulder and began a mid paced walk back down the other side of the hall. He had been in touch with some people and and was notified of a few events that transpired during the kids mission. "Nobody knows everything, but everybody knows something...Do you know what that means Jouijie?" he asked as they approached the front doors of the building. "You know where I'll be for a bit, make sure if there are any messages that they get to me prior to the allotted time" he said to a man in a black robe and ANBU mask, whom immediately nodded to him and opening the door for the two.

It had been a bit startling to be pulled out of the Mizukage's office by the man instead of waiting for him, but at the same time it was almost nicer to handle. Being cooped up in that room would have made his guilt even worse, especially if he waited for a long time. Looking up at the Mizukage who was quite a deal taller then he, or at least from his viewpoint, he nodded when he was told he was going somewhere else instead of the office. He didn't question it, he had faith in his leader. Or perhaps it was more that he had no reason to question him? Loyalty or trust, either one. The man then asked him a riddle of sorts, before speaking to an ANBU member nearby who moved to open a door for them. He turned the phrase over in his head for a bit, it was a question he was good at, a complexion of words.

Stepping alongside his Kage, he nodded. He understood it somewhat. "I guess it means that everyone has a piece of the story. Even if you don't know the whole of it, someone else knows what you don't." he said, perhaps asked as he followed alongside the man. His anxiety at being tugged around and so close to the Kage was a little underneath the depressed cloud hanging over him. Even his mind was a little slower behind it.

"Indeed, and with that, everyone can help each other so that we all gain knowledge for the good of life. You had the chance to help a woman on your mission, but chose not to and come back to her in order to take care of the mission I gave you. Honestly, there is no right or wrong choice in that scenerio because its catch twenty two my boy. So unless you can go left and right while searching north and south...you can't have everything covered." he said with a smile on his face. A little kid ran past with a ball and handed it to the genin and ran over to his mom and hugged her. The woman waved at the two and said thank thank you to the Jouijie with a slight laugh before going into a place to eat. Naizu stopped and folded his arms before speaking in a mockingly confused tone, "Man, that was weird huh? Some woman just tells you thank you and you didn't even do anything right?" he asked. "Do you know her?" he asked as he turned to the ball wielding shinobi and smiling at him.

For all he'd thought up until now, he hadn't really come to the conclusion that the Kage was providing him with. Though it did little to handle his depressed nature at the moment, the explanation did help him. The knowledge he hadn't made a 'wrong' choice was comforting in it's own unique right. He was oddly surprised at how relaxed the Mizukage was being towards him, but at the same time he didn't wish to question it...The man was being generous just talking to him, sharing his wisdom was a step above. Looking up as they stepped out of the Kage building, he shook his head. "I...I was unsure of what to do. If I'd stepped in sooner, she wouldn't have gotten hurt and I'd have ruined any chance of winning. I'd have gotten us both killed. I knew that was the wrong choice. But I honestly questioned if taking those bandits down was worse then letting a woman run through the wood...If I'd gone after her, they'd have gotten to another village and done more harm. I honestly thought to myself that every 'good' choice did more harm then good.." he said, admitting the depth his his thoughts on the issue...

And then the ball hit his hands and he blinked, looking down at the young man who'd handed it to him as he ran towards the woman, who hit Joui's eyes like a lightning bolt. "You...You're...You're welcome. I'm glad you're safe." he said, confusion giving way to a peaceful smile as the woman took her son to go eat...He was quiet a moment now, sighing aloud as he gripped the ball a little. That was the final straw. Mizukage's humor helped quite a bit too. "Gee...I don't know, Mizukage-sama. I see so many women flee from bandits." he retorted, smiling back as he clutched the ball a little.

Blinking, he reached into the pocket on his uniform and produced the envelope with the Kouzuiwana seal on it, handing it towards the Mizukage. "I almost forgot. The Village Elder wanted the Council to have this."

((OOC: Sorry for the delay, I just got to the point where I could post and not worry bout my comp failing on me ))

"Yeah? Hmm...I suppose I'll take a look at it on the way back to the office, but for now, go ahead and pocket that for me would ya? We have a secondary agenda to cover before then so it'd be best if we got right into it...now I mean" said Naizu as he looked at the young genin. The smile on the Mizukages face rapidly faded and he walked toward the boy as he stared at the kid for a moment and spoke, "So with everything taken into account that you've learned thus far, theres always something more you can learn. There is no best spot to train and there is not place that hides ALL danger, even those who you know as you're alies can be threats. So what happens if one happens to turn on you in the blink of an eye and attacks you? What do you do?" he asked monotoned. He suddenly shot forth with his left elbow aimed at the kids mid section, while his right arm was cocked back and primed for an open palm thrust to follow. "Don't disappoint me" Naizu said in his head of the Jouijie.

After being told to pocket the money, Jouijie nodded softly and folded the envelope back up, tucking it into his weapons pouch once more. He was proud of himself in at least one or two fashions, the Mizukage had complimented his mission a bit. But his words after that caught the genin off guard, completely. The way he spoke made Jouijie look up with a quirked eyebrow and the green in his eyes reflecting quizzically. The man was giving him a lesson of some kind, wasn't he? There was always something to learn from anything and there was never a 'best place, best time' for anything. Those words were something he could very clearly associate with the world of Shinobi. Especially his finishing phrase. 'Allies can become enemies in the blink of an eye'. That was everything a Shinboi was taught to be, aware of everything and wary of anything, trusting only the most loyal and even then keeping them at a distance. So why did it take his eyes so long to adjust to the motion of the Mizukage rushing at him? Why did his body sway like a leaf in that slow, doe-like motion that spoke volumes of his inexperience? He could see it all in his mind's eye. The Mizukage had been so king...So was this just another kind of test? Reflexes and heart. That had to be it. He was testing the Genin's drive.

His reflexes seemed to react like time had slowed down before now, every reaction piled on top of each other like a fast-forwarded video. His hands rose in his combat post, one hand at his side and the other in front of his chest, ready for reactions, when the elbow came. Naizu was fast and the only reason the elbow missed was because Jouijie quickly swiped at it, gritting his teeth as it instead swung a little to the left and allowed him to twist around it. But the palm was too fast for him to dodge all at once, so he instead brought both his hands together. He had to react quickly, he was already forming the jutsu seals as the Mizukage's palm smashed into him. Kinkou No Jutsu!"

Time seemed to stand still for the briefest of seconds. The blow was surely enough to floor the genin on a normal basis, but he seemed unresponsive to the blow for a moment. Then he skidded, the force pushing him back but even still he remained on his feet. He coughed out in pain once before he steadied himself, standing in front of Naizu now and seeming far less injured then he should have been. Naizu's palm would have felt like it impacted something far harder then flesh and bone, comparable to a chunk of metal perhaps. And Kinkou no Jutus had tightened his center of gravity enough to let him remain standing so he wouldn't take damage from falling.

Turning on his heel, he faced forward against his Kage and brought his hands together, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The Kage was testing him, but he wouldn't be holding back. He'd only remained standing because of the two jutsus he'd been perfecting, but neither had been as good as he'd liked...His metal frame had buckled far too easily under such pressure and the balance jutsu had only saved him from falling all over himself. But still, he focused himself. His calm wasn't forced, it was real. "I won't disappoint, Mizukage-sama." he said now, tilting his hand slightly as he rushed forward.

The first thing he did when he got within range of the Kage was to twist himself sideways, nearly standing on one foot as he did and the speed was quickly, kicking himself off the ground in a top-like position. One leg followed the other just as the Kage's original attack had and both came at the man's right side, the genin's eyes on the man's movements. He was just hoping he could impress the Kage.

----Used Jutsus----

Spoiler:

Name: Sakugane [Metal Frame]Rank: CElement: TaijutsuDescription: When attacking or blocking, the user temporarily focuses a large portion of chakra between skin layers, temporarily increasing the density and hardness of their skin. This however does not last for more then a split second and requires precise timing, as it only absorbs initial impact and damage. Continual damage is not absorbed.

Name: Kinkou no JutsuRank: DElement: NinjutsuDescription: By quickly forming the Serpent hand seal as one is falling, one can temporarily alter their center of balance. Unlike chakra manipulations which require a constant flow, this temporarily adjusts all the muscles of your body in a specific way. Conversely, it also lasts for roughly five seconds. The technique can be used to stop painful falls or stay standing when hit.

Name: Ashimeachan [Crashing Tide Leg]Rank: DElement: TaijutsuDescription: Twisting one's body to the side and then kicking off from the ground, the user performs a double spin-kick to the opponent's midsection and lands beside them.

"Very nice, quick witts about him" said the Mizukage to himself as he kept his stance post attack. Bracing himself with such little timing, composing himself after being struck...he wasn't like some of his other students. The boy then took to the attack and shot forth with a kick that was aimed at towards the stomach to rib cage region of the kage. Swiftly, he moved his left hand down, blocking the kick however revealing the other foot shooting to finish the job. Turning his right side, Naizu muscled down and flexed as his right arm rushed across and he halted the boys second kick with his forearm.

With his kicks halted, the Kage of the mist would seem to change in the eyes of the young genin. His face turning to another familiar one, one that would be unmistakable to the boy...his father. The rest of the Mist leader soon followed suit, he was the man that gave birth to the shinobi, or in his eyes. He approached with his arms wide, smiling and radiant of the sight of his boys exceeding process and spoke, "I'm proud of...". At that point, a man unseen came on the blind side of the kage turned father and stabbed him with a short sword unprovoked. At the same time, two men grabbed the boy and forced him to watch as the man that brought him life bled like a faucette from his side. The man with the sword then removed it if from the blood drinched side and slowly forced it into the stomach, turning and smiling at him as he did so.

"Lets see how he does with the mental variety of these surprise attacks" said Naizu as he watched to learn of the boy's ability to deal with genjutsu. The counter to the first kick was what he used to trigger the genjutsu as he needed contact to initiate it, but wanted to learn of his taijutsu defense as well. "Ok kid, lets see what ya got for me this time" thought Naizu whom had a smile on his face from the delight of young Jouijie's developing skill. "If he does what I hope...." he muttered to himself, leaving the sentence unfinished and spectating the genin.

Name Corupted Past Rank:CElement:GenjutsuDescription:This is activated by contact alone. Ones past is brought to ahead in a nightmarish manner. Thoughts that would sooth ones mind are first brought to mind and are then destroyed in a slow but brutal manner.

At first, he had almost thought that the Mizukage was going to attack him again and he'd prepared himself, focusing his senses on his nerves again. The first parry was solid and took his leg off course but instead of losing his focus on the other, he twisted the now blocked leg out of the way only for the second to get caught in the Kage's guard. He didn't let himself get caught by any counter-attacks either, he rather proficiently used his timing in a defensive way too. Sliding his foot against the Kage's guard, he used the man's forearm to push himself off of and landed in front of him, already readying himself for the hand seals to another jutsu...He was so focused on things that he barely noticed the change until his 'father' spoke. There was something in Jouijie's eyes that seemed to slack and he stood for a moment, his breath escaping in a rough gasp. There was no way...His father was here? Was the Mizukage his...father? His mind reeled, confused and burdened in so many ways.

The Genin hadn't seen that face in years, not since he was below Academy age. He remembered it though. He remembered the face grinning at him as it handed him a Tanto, and he remembered crying when he cut himself on the arm with it trying to practice, his father using the sheath to smack him on the head to keep him focused while he wrapped the arm. The last thing he remembered of his father was that smile. The one he had on his face now. He was proud of Jouijie, wasn't he? What was this? He couldn't even think of trying to react now, his hands dropping as- As his father's life was ripped from him. This made no sense anymore. "D...Dad?" he whispered, his eyes going wide. There was nothing that made sense in the youth's mind at this point. The man was dying in front of him. Someone was stabbing him...This was something outside his senses. Everything felt so sluggish and slow, he absolutely couldn't even think...Think...

His body moved quietly, trying to focus. He had an opponent in front of him, didn't he? So why did he feel nothing? There was something wrong here. All his reactions were muted. Something was wrong, something had to be wrong. He couldn't feel anything and his body was slow, too slow for this...His mind seemed to click slowly as he reached to his side, grasping for the tanto hidden under the cloth on his waist and drawing it quietly. Looking at it, he seemed to frown...The glint, it was real. But his eyes were dull. Heavy. His chakra wasn't getting where it needed to go.

It was then that he realized he was trapped in a Genjutsu. His senses seemed to kick on at once, glaring up at the figure ahead of him that was smiling like a ghost. And he bit on his tongue softly, preparing himself to force the Chakra in his body. He lifted one hand and caught the wire on the winch on his waist, his fingers moving as if in preparation for the jutsu but even as they moved, he was tying the wires around the handle of the tanto. He slammed it down into the ground in front of him and then clasped his hands together. He was still too sluggish from the chakra in his veins to think of attacking an enemy he couldn't see. "Have to focus...K..Kai!" he murmured, clasping the handseal in his mind and using it to focus. His chakra pushed out, trying to suppress the chakra in his body that wasn't his own and force it out. His eyes slowly opened after a moment, waiting to see if it had actually worked...Or was he not trapped in a genjutsu? Was this really happening?

----Used Jutsu----

Spoiler:

Name: KaiRank: CElement: Genjutsu ReleaserDescription: A simple technique taught to counter the effects of Genjutsu by forcing the body's chakra to block out the invaders. However, it requires knowledge of the fact one is stuck in a Genjutsu to begin with.

His father and his murdered faded from his vision almost immediately, leaving him with a clearing mind. The Genjutsu had faded nearly completely now, leaving him standing in the street facing down his Kage. He took the initiative back as his mind and head cleared completely. He was still fighting and being tested and it was time to prove to his Kage that he was serious. The man's testing of him had swept Jouijie up just a little bit it seemed. Rushing forward now, Jouijie's body seemed to loosen as he got closer to the Kage and he seemed to lean to the side, kicking off the ground and 'spinning' in the air a little. He looked to be preparing for the kick he had originally used on the Mizukage.

Except he wasn't. Even at the speed of motion he was at, his hands moved. The ninja-wire winch at his side unwound furiously and his hands moved across it, guiding it, as he twisted his body over the head of the Mizukage. The wire spun like thread as he did, eventually forming what looked like a loose coil as Jouijie landed. The coils of wire loosely fell around the Mizukage, but then Jouijie's hand hit the lock button and he turned pulling himself from his Kage as he pulled the winch free and drew a kunai, stabbing both into the ground firmly. The wires went taunt and Naizu would be trapped. Wires sprung to life around him, attempting to trap him in place.

At the same time, Jouijie's hands moved into seals. "Dog, Boar, Bird, Dragon, Dog, Boat, Bird, Dragon!" he muttered, forming each hand seal as he spoke it's name with a fair deal of speed, and then he pushed fingertips together on the last hand seal. Chakra sprung to life in his hands and lightning began to circle the fingertips of his right hand like static shock, Jouijie's face lighting blue with the chakra swirling around his grasp. "Raiton: Suro-Hakagai no Jutsu!" and he clenched his hand, sparks of lightning breezing off.

And then he slammed his hand down to the ground, putting his palm against the winch. And fingertips against the wire. It was immediate. The wire suddenly sparked to life as Jouijie's current surged through it, electrocuting anyone who was against the wires now.

Letting loose a pant for air, Jouijie leapt back from the wire as he released his grip and he ended up a few feet behind Naizu, drawing in a breath for fresh air. He was a little weak from releasing that jutsu, but he would recover in a minute...

[Used Jutsus]

Spoiler:

Name: Lightning Release: Suro-Hakagai no JutsuRank: CElement: LightningDescription: Formed by repeating the Dog, Boar, Bird and Dragon seal combination two times and then putting the fingertips of both hands together, this jutsu allows the user to channel a large amount of lightning converted chakra into the fingertips of one hand. For a single attack or movement, a current roughly equivalent to an electrical wire becoming ungrounded will surge through the fingertips of the right hand. Static lines will continually encase the shinobi's fingers. The lightning chakra can also cling minimally, allowing it's charge to carry across multiple close foes it they happen to be holding or wearing metal.

Naizu remained at a relaxed state and as the the wires were unleashed towards him, he moved not a bit. In his reluctance to move however, his sword sprung from his side, slicing them into happless thirds. By doing this however, when the young man used his jutsu, the acted recklessly as a powerline would when dislodged without caution. Only the fore front of the wires had electricity infused however, and the electric charged wire whipped across the ground like a snake. During the weaving of handseals, the Mizukage kept locked on the boy up until the begining of the jutsu and dashed to the side as the wires were cut. It was a move that the Kage could appreciate because the strategy of going from the attack to the defensive at a quick junction.

He made a decision at that time that he was he'd be happy with later down the road, for he first spoke to Jouijie, "Good job kiddo, you're knowlegable about how to deal with situations at a higher lvl then your rank shows...atleast in my eyes" he said with a smile. Turning around, he walked over to the kid and placed his hand over his shoulder and thought to himself for a moment, "Yep, this is the one, I'm sure of it". "Sparrings over, lets go get you some clothes with some style and that the ladies will appreciate eh?" he said as he moved his hand over the boys head, rubbing and messing up his hair a bit. The young man was unaware of this but Naizu had just made the decision to undertake him as his own pupil. He had an idea of what he was gonna do for the training, and had even thought through what he'd do as far as the summonings were concerned.

"Lets go, I'm payin, and were goin to get some grub first cus I'm starvin since I haven't eaten in an hour" said the Mizukage as he began to walk toward a shop. As he walked, the sword dashed back toward him and slid comfortably at his side, betwen the belt and the pants. Naizu snickered a bit to himself as he considered the best time to start the training, how it would turn out, and what the kid would be like when he was done.

Name:Leiya Rank:BElement:Weapon-SwoardDescription:Leiya is Naizu's swoard. It is sharp enough to cut through wind and it can only be held by Naizu. It holds chakra on its own and will can protect Naizu without him holding it.

It startled him when Naizu not only broke free of the wires at a rate he wasn't prepared for, but in addition to that the man effortlessly moved out of the way of his electric jutsu. He wasn't disappointed so much as momentarily awed by the speed at which it all happened, the wires seemingly never even having a chance to tense around the man...And then the Kage was done. Stopped moving and had offered not only to clothe poor Jouijie, but feed him. Yep, that was pretty much all it took to get Jouijie to move. He had been tense in a combat pose until the 'food' part was mentioned, he hadn't eaten anything but a Soldier Pill in nearly a day. He scrambled up to his feet and nodded at Naizu, moving to rush to the man's side and ignoring the flying sword again. He was quite happy with the results of the sparring, because he knew he'd done well.

It would have been impressive to hurt him, but if Jouijie had landed a blow on the Mizukage that was more then glancing, then he would have been went easy on. No one with the title of Kage would let themselves get downed by a Genin even in a testing spar and Jouijie was satisfied with what he'd done. Even if it had failed, it had still been enough to convince the Kage to take him to lunch, hadn't it?

Grinning a bit, he nodded at the man's suggestions though he seemed to deliberately not go into the aspect of dressing to pick up women...He nearly blushed at the idea, in fact. "I'd love to eat, sir. I appreciate it immensely...I don't think I've eaten since a little before my last Soldier Pill on the way back." he explained, chuckling as if his mission excused racing all the way back. Truth be told he was intending to go collapse in bed with some rice crackers after he'd delivered his report...But lunch with the Mizukage, shopping with the Mizukage...Yep, his first mission kicked ass.